Author 




Title 



Class 
Book 



y.5. . 



Imprint 



STATE OF NEW YORK— FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



Reforesting Operations 

C. R. PETTIS, State Forester 

Extract from the Fifteenth Annual Report 



t 



STATE OF NEW YORK— FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



ReforestiDg Operations 

C. R. PETTIS, State Forester 
Extract from the Fifteenth Annual Report 



AUG 23 )91A 



.o'^ 



'^""^^ 



122 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

Report on Reforesting Operations. 

By C. R. Pettis, State Forester. 



Hon. James S. Whipple, Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner: 

Sir. — The work of this division of the Forestry Department has 
doubled during the year. We are now operating five large nurseries, 
reforesting State land, advising private landowners ; and have, dur- 
ing the year, supplied large quantities of planting stock to private 
owners, and carried on experimental work. v 

TREE DISTRIBUTION. 
This year was the second in which this Commission sold trees 
to private landowners for reforesting purposes, and the amount 
sold indicates the demand and the possibilities of reforesting. In 
1908, seven applicants purchased 25,100 trees, while in 1909, 179 
persons bought 1,005,325 trees and half as many more could have 
been sold if our supply had permitted. The following tabulation 
indicates the parties and counties to which trees were sent, also 
the quantity : 

Summary of Distribution by Counties. 

Albany County. 

F. B. Gilbert 4,000 

G. C. Leonard 2,000 

Dr. H. Van Rensselaer 2,000 

John A. Schairer 1,500 

W. L. L. Peltz 3,000 

Academy Sacred Heart 2,150 

14.650 

Allegany County. 
Frank Sullivan Smith 2,000 

Broome County. 
Binghamton State Hospital 3,000 



• • 



• • • 






-? 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 

Cattaraugus County. 

B. \\\ Sibley i,ooo 

State Nursery 80 

Chautauqua County. 

G. R. Butts 700 

Frank Merz 200 

Hon. W. B. Hooker 6,000 

Hon. A. F. Allen 2^0 

Chemung County. 
Dr. A. W. Booth 

Chenango County. 

Lucms Xewton 4,000 

Bert Lord i .000 

C. A. Phelps , 2.000 

R. P. Kutschback i.ooo 

Clinton County. 

J. B. Riley 5,000 

G. D. Dare 2,000 

\V. PI. Miner 4.000 

Columbia County. 
J. \\ N. Phillip 

Delaware County. 

State Fish Hatchery 60,000 

R. S. Ives 5,000 

John Adams 500 

E. E. Brant i ,000 

J. E. Feake i .575 

J. C. Wilson 500 

J. F. Foreman 2.000 

A. H. Simpson 2,000 



123 



1.080 



7.150 
3.000 



8.000 



11.000 



4,000 



124 FlFTEKNTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 

J. Q. Uarlow i ,000 

A. Yaple i ,000 

Thos, Rich i ,000 

John G. lUish 1,000 

Dutchess County. 
P. X. Fame 

Erie County. 

Juhus Goettehnan 250 

Hon. L. W. Marcus 2,000 

Fssc.v County. 

Finch. Priiyn Sz Co 18,000 

M. N. I5aker 6,000 

]). G. McGrew 10,000 

John B. Burnham 30,000 

Forest, Fish and Game Commission 30,000 

I. E. Featherston 5.000 

Franklin County. 

Thomas Blagden 3,000 

Hon. H. H. Hawley 4,000 

Joseph Smith 1,000 

Loon Lake Hotel Co 2,500 

International Paper Co 20,000 

J. R. Sheffield 2,000 

Reception Hospital 500 

J. O. Ballard 800 

Dr. D. H. Dalphin 1,000 

W. D. Warner 200 

S. y\. Colgate 1 ,600 

Pulton County. 

C. J. Refers 3,500 

Warren Miller 20,000 



76,575 
1,000 



2,250 



99.000 



36,600 



Forest, Fish axd Gamk Commission. 

John Mussey 5,000 

Gloversville Water Works 20,000 

Jeremiah Wood 10,000 

C. W. & J. A. Heacock 2,000 

Hoklen Lumber Co ^ 2.000 

Z. P>. Whitney 1,000 

]}. A. Hays 4,000 

Greene County. 

A. J. Morse '. i ,000 

M. C Ballard 750 

J, B. Carey 1,000 

Hamilton County. 

International Paper Co 10,000 

R. B. Nichols 2,000 

E. H. Johnson 10,000 

John A. Cole lo.ooo 

W. E. Brooks 1,000 

Herkimer County. 

C. B. Gray 2,000 

M. E. Hastings 100 

D. B. Sperry 5,000 

Northwood Fishing Club 1,000 

J. H. Watson i .000 

Lewis County. 

Diana Paper Co 10,000 

Port Lyden Electric Light & Power Co 1,000 

J. L. Seymour . ' i ,000 

Hon. Theodore Basselin 6,000 

Lii'incjstoti County. 
Bureau of Water, City of Rochester 



125 



67,500 



2.750 



33,000 



9,100 



18.000 



20,000 



126 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

Madison Coiuty. 
D. E. Darrow 

Monroe County, 
Hon. H. H. Widcner 

Montgomery County. 
G. W. Potter 

Nassau County. 

St. John's Protectory 900 

C. H. Mackay Estate 65,500 

Oneida County. 

Hon. Elihu Root 31,000 

J. S. Baker 4,000 

John Bliven 1,000 

J. J, Russell 2,000 

Q. McAdam 2,400 

T. W. Parkinson 2,000 

H. H. Wicks 1 ,000 

C. E. Wliitcher 500 

A. A. Heckert 1,000 

Dr. C. T. Guillane 2,000 

H. J. Cookingham 3,ooo 

J. T. Durham 300 

A. D. H. Kelsey 500 

H. F. Simmons 500 

Ontario County. 
J. V. Salisbury & Son 

Orange County. 

C. B. Hill 3,000 

Hon. J. W. Wilkins 100 



1.250 



SO 



1,000 



66,400 



51,800 
3,000 



3,100 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 127 

Oszvcgo County. 

Great Bear Spring Co 209,700 

M. X. W'adsworth 3.000 

Blount Lumber Co 11,000 

G. R. & A. T. Blount 7,000 

230,700 

Otsego County. 

W. C. Johnson 60,000 

N. H. Briggs & Son 3,000 

Ira Mowery 100 

F. E. Golden 200 

A. B. Cox 1,000 

i\I. E. Baldwin 10,000 

74.300 

Putnam County. 

A. A. Healey 600 

Rensselaer County. 

Arthur Cowee 16,500 

Robert Olcott 3.500 

E. W. Mastin 1,000 

Dr. H. J. Lipes 500 

21,500 

Rockland County. 

H. 'SI. Kennedy 2,000 

St. Latvrcnce County. 

F. A. Cutting 1 5,000 

International Paper Co 10,000 

Hon. E. A. Merritt, Jr 45,ooo 

P. X. Blake 2,000 

AI. \'. B. Ives 7,000 

79,000 

Saratoga County. 

Union Bag and Paper Co 11 .000 



128 FiFTEENTIJ AXXUAL REPORT OF THE 

Schenectady County. 
F. C. Sauter i,ooo 

Schoharie County. 
J. D. Frederick 2,000 

Schuyler County. 
Amer. Scenic and Historical Preservation 

Society 1450 

Hon. W. E. Leffingwell 2,400 

3.850 

Seneca County. 

Willard State Hospital 1.500 

Steuben County. 

J. L. Miller , 1,200 

J. O. Seabring 4,000 

Prof. C. K. Robard i ,000 

6,200 

Suffolk County. 

T. H. Bean 3,000 

Hon. T. M. Cullen 2,000 

T. M. Osborne 1,000 

Brooklyn Home for Blind, Crippled and De- 
fective Children 900 

St. Joseph's Convent 900 

Augustus Eitzen 1,000 

E. M. & W. Ferguson 2,000 

10,800 

SuUifan County. 

C. B. Going 3,000 

Tioga County. 

A. G. DuBois 7.200 

A. W. Booth 4.000 

11,200 



• 



FoRKST, Fish and (Iamk Com mission. 

Ulster County. 

Roswell Coles 2.000 

B. Frank Wood 1,000 

jrarroi County. 

B. G. Higley 1,000 

D. Hurley 3,000 

W. H. Faxon 5,000 

G. M. Mead 3.000 

H. P. King 2,000 

C. H. Peddrick, Jr 10,000 

II 'asliington County. 

Spring Brook Water Co 8,000 

Bossom Mfg. Co 24,000 

JVaync County. 
Addison Weed 

JFcstchcstcr County. 

M. P. Slade i.ooo 

G. Hennig 1,000 

S. Bonsai 2,000 

C. R. Agnew 4.000 

Capt. John F. 0"Ryan 2,000 

R. Vander Emde 2,000 

C. W. Eckhardt 3,000 

B. W. Morris 2,000 

G. V. Mullan i .000 

Wyoming County. 

Hon. F. C. Stevens 

5 



129 



3.000 



24,000 



32,000 



3,000 



18.000 



10,000 



130 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

Yates County. 
Mrs. Edith W. I.ynn 500 



Total 1,095405 

In order to indicate more clearly what portions of the State are 
most active in this work, the accompanying map has been prepared. 

The following table shows the C[uantity and species of trees which 
were shipped during the year to private parties ; also the amount 
jilanted on State land. 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 



131 



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17,2 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

In order to secure reliable information in regard to results of 
the planting by private land owners, the following blank was sent to 
each party supplied with trees and a report was asked in accordance 
with the agreement they signed when the trees were sold : 

X. Y., .... 

Forest, Fish ami Game Commission, Albany, .V. 3'.; 

CiEXTLEMEX. — I make the following report in regard to reforest- 
ing with trees purchased from you and planted during the spring 
of 1909: 

Quantity received 

Condition of trees when received 

Date of planting 

Xumber of acres planted 

Cost of planting per acre including trees 

Approximate number living at this time 

Average height growth made this season 

What is your opinion of reforesting? 

Have you any suggestions to ofifer whereby the work can be 
facilitated ? 



Do you desire to purchase more trees for next year's planting?. . . . 

About how much reforesting do you intend to do?. . . •. 

Do you know of other reforesting in your vicinity and if so, please 
give us the names of parties and addresses 

What is your best estimate of the amount of land in your town that 
ought to be reforested ? 

Remarks. 

Signed 

P. O 

The information received from this source has been tabulated in 
the following table : 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 



133 



Summary of 1909 Tree Distribution* 



II 

O C 

a 
< 



I 

2 
3 
4 
s 

6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
I I 

1 2 
13 
14 
IS 

16 

17 
18 
19 

20 

2 t 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
ii 

34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 
48 
49 
50 
SI 
52 
S3 
54 
55 
56 
57 
S8 
59 
60 
61 

62 

63 
64 
65 
66 

67 



COUNTY WHERE 
PLANTED 



Franklin 

Fulton 

Wyoming. . . . 

Otsego 

Essex ....;.. 

Essex 

Hamilton. . . . 

Fulton 

Sullivan 

Nassau 

Hamilton. . . . 
Westchester. . 

Oneida 

Oswego 

Oswego 

Essex 

Chautauqua. . 

Fulton 

Westchester. . 

Oneida 

Cattaraugus. . 
St. Lawrence. 

Oneida 

Westchester. . 

Ontario 

Clinton 

Oneida 

Albany 

Albany 

Rockland 

Albany 

Oneida 

Otsego 

Madison 

Herkimer 

Suffolk 

Herkimert. . . ■ 

Oneida 

Otsego 

Herkimer 

Oneida 

Orange 

St. Lawrence. . 
Cattaraugust . . 

Franklin 

Rocklandt . . . . 

Ulster 

Oneida 

Franklin 

Greene 

St. Lawrence J . 

Albany 

Suffolk 

St. Lawrence . . 

Seneca 

Westchester. . . 

Oswego 

Hamilton 

Washington. . . 

Orange 

Esse.x 

Cattaraugus. . . 
Montgomery. . 

Delaware 

Schenectady. . 

Delaware 

Fulton 



Total 

trees 

planted 



4 ,000 
20,000 
10,000 
100 
10.000 
10.000 

2 .000 
10 ,000 

3 .000 
61 ,500 
10 ,000 

4,000 
1 ,000 

3 .000 
170, 700 

10 ,000 

700 

2 ,000 

2 ,000 

4 ,000 
1 ,000 

45, 000 

1 ,000 

2 ,000 

3 .000 

5 .000 

Soo 
2 ,000 
2 ,000 
2 ,000 

4 ,000 

2 ,400 
60 ,000 

1 .250 

100 

I ,000 

1 ,000 

3 .000 

2 ,000 

2 ,000 

3 .000 
2 ,000 



I ,000 



2 ,000 

3 .000 
2 ,000 
1 , 000 



1 ,500 

2 ,000 
7 ,000 

I ,500 

3 .000 
I I , 000 
10 , 000 

5 .000 

100 

32 ,000 

80 

1 ,000 

2 , 100 

1 ,000 

2 ,000 
I ,000 



Acres 
planted 



4 
29 



1 1 

1 1 

2 

I 2 

2i 



I 

3 

160 

1 1 

I 

2 
3 



I 

2 

2* 

6 

li 

I 
2 

I* 

10 

SO 

2 



I 
4i 

2 



2i 
2 



li 

4 

2 
I 



3 

10 

6 

5 



25 

I 



li 

■i 



Per 

cent, 
living 



90 
95 

"80 
95 
95 
98 
90 
90 

95 

■98 
98 
8S 
95 
95 

100 
90 
95 
98 

99 
99 
90 
80 
SO 
8S 
95 
98 
98 

■98 
95 
96 

75 

■98 
98 
98 

70 
95 



98 
97 
98 
60 

90 
70 
97 

70 
90 

99 
90 

90 
90 
90 
90 

'ss 

98 



Cost of 
plant- 
ing per 
acre, in- 
cluding 
trees 



$6 50 



8 75 

8 75 

10 00 

8 00 

8 00 

8 00 



7 SO 
14 00 

8 75 
7 00 

13 00 



7 00 

IS 00 

I 2 00 

7 00 

10 00 

14 SO 

7 00 

10 00 

3 00 

10 80 

7 SO 



6 00 

6 00 

10 00 



IS 00 

I 2 00 

8 00 

8 00 





9 
10 


00 
00 




10 
j6 
10 


00 
00 
00 


I I 


00 


10 
8 


35 

25 



I 2 00 
9 00 



Opinion of 
reforesting 



Favorable . 
Excellent. 



Favorable . 

Excellent. . 
Excellent. . 
Excellent. . 
Excellent. . 
Excellent. , 

Excellent . . 



Estimated 
acres of 
land in 

town that 
ought to 

be planted 



1 ,000 



3 .000 
i of town 
25 to 50% 



Excellent . 
Excellent . 
Excellent . 
Excellent . 
E.xcellent . 
Good .... 



Favorable . 

Favorable . 
Favorable . 
Excellent. . 
Excellent. . 
Necessity. . 
Necessity. . 
Favorable . 
Favorable . 
Favorable . 

Favorable . 
Favorable . 



500 



10% 

75% 



10 ,000 



2 ,000 
I . 000 



4 ,000 



Favorable . 
Favorable . 



Necessary . 
Desirable. . 
Favorable . 



Very good . 
Necessary. 



Favorable . 
Favorable . 
Profitable. 
Necessity. 



Necessity. 



Desirable . 
Desirable . 



Desirable. 
Profitable. 



4 ,000 

100 

2 ,000 



100 
500 



50% 



2 ,000 
1 ,000 



4 ,000 
Large. 



I ,500 
I ,000 



* Wherever blanks appear no report had been received when report was prepared, 
t Canceled at applicant's request. 
X Cancelled f^r non-payment. 



134 



Fifteenth Annual Report of the 



Summary of 1909 Tree Distribution* — (Continued). 



ex 
.2E 

"a 
a 
< 



68 
69 
70 
71 
72 
73 
74 
7S 
76 
7 7 
78 
79 
80 
81 
82 
83 
84 
8s 
86 

87 
88 
89 
90 

91 
92 

93 
94 

95 
96 

97 
98 

99 
100 

lOI 

1 02 
103 
104 
los 
106 
107 
108 
109 

I 10 

I I I 
1 1 2 
113 
114 
"5 
I 16 

'17 
118 
I 19 
I 20 

I 2 I 



I 22 

123 
124 

•2S 
I 26 
127 
128 
I 29 
130 
131 
•32 
'i3 
134 
135 



COUNTY WHERE 
PLANTED 



Oswego 

St . Lawrence 

Oswego 

Hamilton 

Franklin 

St . Lawrence 

Franklin 

Monroe 

Delaware 

Chenango 

St . Lawrence 

Essex 

Franklin 

Warren 

Yates 

Delaware 

Greene 

Washington 

Lewis 

Albany 

Rensselaer 

Westchester 

Fulton 

Oneidat 

Saratoga 

Tioga 

Westchester 

Warren 

Chemung 

Oneida 

Delaware 

Delaware 

Madison 

Greene 

Chenango 

Delaware 

Chautauqua 

Warren 

Clinton 

Chenango 

Herkimer 

Wayne 

Saratoga 

Oneida 

Oneida 

Dutchess 

Clinton 

Suffolk 

Westchester 

Lewis 

Oneida 

Oneida 

Otsego 

Livingston and On- 
tario 



Rensselaer. . 
Steuben .... 
Steuben .... 

Fulton 

Suffolk 

Oneida 

Schoharie. . . 
Steuben .... 
Franklin. . . . 
Westchester. 
Westchester. 

Yates 

Otsego 

Rensselaer. . 



Total 

trees 

planted 



7 ,000 
I 5 ,000 
10 , 000 
10 . 000 
10 .000 
10 .000 
10 ,000 
50 

I ,000 

1 . 000 
10 ,000 

6 .000 

2 ,000 
5 . 000 

500 
500 
750 

3 .000 
I ,000 

3 .ooo 
I .000 

1 .000 

2 .000 



10 , 000 

4 . 000 

2 . 000 

3 .00° 
3 .ooo 
2 , 000 
I , 000 

5 -ooo 
Refused 

1 , 000 

2 , 000 
60 . 000 

200 
2 ,000 

2 .000 
4 . 000 
5 , 000 

3 -OOO 
I . 000 

300 
3 1 , boo 
I , 000 
4 , 000 
I , 000 
I , 000 

1 ,000 

2 , 000 

500 
200 

20 . 000 



Acres 
planted 



500 
200 
000 I 
000 j 
000 
500 I 
2 , 000 

1 , 000 

500 

2 .000 
Canceled 
Canceled 

I ,000 
10 ,000 



9 

9 

I 2 

13 
10 



10 
3 



2i 



35 



4i 



Per 
cent, 
living 



90 
95 
8S 
95 
98 
90 
90 
80 

99 
70 
90 
80 

80 
80 

50 
90 
90 
95 
95 

92 
95 



95 
90 

98 
70 
8S 

60 
80 
85 
75 
95 
80 
80 

60 

70 

40 



90 
98 
90 
95 



95 

95 

95 
95 
75 

90 



Cost of 


plant - 


mg 


per 


acre. 


in- 


clud 


ing 


trees 


Sio 


00 


14 


00 


13 


00 


15 


01 


8 


50 


14 


55 


10 


so 


8 


00 


22 


50 


I 2 


00 


4 


25 


5 


00 


« 


00 


8 


50 


10 


00 


I 2 


00 


7 


50 


IS 


00 


10 


50 


10 


50 


5 


75 


6 


75 


i 


00 


4 


00 


9 


00 


;■■: 1 


10 


46 


6 


7 5 


5 


00 


T.O 


00 


/ 


00 




00 




50 


7 


00 


18 


00 


15 


00 


b 


00 


10 


00 


14 


00 


10 


50 









Opinion of 
reforesting 



I Estimated 

acres of 

land in 

town that 

ought to 

be planted 



Favorable . 

Necessity. 

Necessity. 



ravorable . . 
Investment . 
Necessary. . . 
Favorable. . 


10 
16 

5 

I 


000 
000 
000 
000 


Necessary. . . 
Necessary. . . 
Favorable . . 
Desirable . . . 


5 
4 
5 


coo 
00c 
000 
Soo 


Necessary. . . 
Desirable . . . 
Favorable . . 
Necessity. . . 
Necessity. . . 


Much. 

5 

1 


000 
000 



Investment . 
Favorable . . 



500 



Favorable . 



Necessity. 
Favorable . 

E.xcellent . 
Excellent . 
Excellent . 



400 
5 -OOO 



Much. 

2 . 000 



Profitable. 
Necessity. 
Necessity. 
Necessity. 
Necessity. 
Favorable . 
Necessity. 
Favorable . 
Favorable . 



25% 
I ,000 



5 .000 

400 

I , 000 

5 .000 

300 



Favorable . . 


500 


















Favorable . . 
Favorable . . 
Favorable . . 
Favorable . . 

Verv favor- 
able 


Much. 
Much. 

J ,500 
400 










Investment . 
Favorable . . 
Favorable . . 


4 . 000 
100 


Necessary. . . 
Favorable . . 
Necessity. . . 


5 . 000 
5 ,000 






Favorable . . 


25% 



t Canceled at applicant's request. 



FORF.ST. I'^ISII AND (iAMK COMMISSION. 



135 



Summary of 1909 Tree Distribution* — (^Concluded(. 



V 

.2E 

< 



136 

'37 
138 
139 
140 
141 
142 

M3 
144 

"45 
146 
147 
148 
149 
ISO 
151 
152 
J 53 
"54 
15s 
136 
157 
iS8 
159 
160 
161 
162 

163 
164 
16s 
166 
167 
168 
169 
170 
171 
172 
'73 
174 
'75 
176 
177 
178 
179 
180 
181 
182 
■83 
184 
■85 
186 
187 
188 
189 



COUNTY WHERE 
PLANTED 



Fulton 

Warren 

Fulton 

Franklin. . . . 
Schuyler§. . . 
Broome . . . . 
Delaware . . . 

Erie 

Erie 

Delaware . . . 
Herkimer. . . 
Delaware . . . 

Tioga 

WashinRton . 
Franklin. . . . 

Otsego 

Allegany. . . . 
Delaware . . . 
Rensselaer. . 
Delaware . . . 
Delaware . . . 

Essex 

Franklin. . . . 
Columbia. . . 

Nassau 

Suffolk 

Suffolk 

Essex 

Chenango. . . 

Essex 

Chautauqua. 
Hamilton. . . 
Herkimer. . . 
Schuyler. . . . 
Westchester. 

Albany 

Putnam .... 

Suffolk 

Ulster 

Rensselaer. . 

Oswego 

Warren 

Warren 

Lewis 

Franklin. . . . 

Fulton 

Franklin. . . . 

Fulton 

Chautauqua. 
Franklin. . . . 

.Mbany 

Erie 

Oswego 

Oswego 



Total 

trees 

planted 



20,000 

3 .000 

3.S00 

200 



3 .000 
1 .000 
250 
I ,000 
I ,000 
1 , 000 

1 ,000 
7 . 200 

24 .000 

800 

1 o ,000 

2 ,000 

500 
(i . 500 
1 , 000 

575 
18 ,000 

1 , 000 

2 ,000 

900 
900 
900 

5 . 000 
I , 000 

I o ,000 

6 , 000 
I . 000 
I , 000 
1 , 200 

1 ,000 
2,150 

600 

2 ,000 
I . 000 

500 
I 5 , 000 
I o . 000 

1 . 000 
6 . 000 

500 

2 ,000 

700 

2 ,000 

250 

3 .000 
Refused 
Refused 

S .000 
9 ,000 



Acres 
planted 



20 
3 
3 



2i 

i 
2 
I 



5 

20 

2 

8 



4 

I 

I I 



■ i 

2 



I 2 
I I 



4 
7* 



Per 
cent, 
living 



99 
98 
95 

SO 

'8s 

SO 
7S 
60 
90 

90 
98 
90 
90 

90 

75 
60 

95 
90 



20 
98 

98 
50 
90 

98 
95 



80 



60 
80 

85 
80 

90 
90 
90 
90 
90 



95 
95 



Cost of 
plant- 
ing per 
acre, in- 
cluding 
trees 



S 00 
9 00 
8 80 



6 50 



8 00 

6 00 

I 2 00 

8 28 

4 00 
6 75 

6 00 

5 00 
8 00 

S 00 



8 00 
7 00 
7 00 

6 10 



6 so 

IS 00 
10 00 

5 72 

6 00 

7 75 
3 00 
7 75 



16 00 
16 00 



Opinion of 
reforesting 



Estimated 
acres of 
land in 

town that 
ought to 

be planted 



Investment . 
Favorable . . 
Investment . 



Desirable. 
Favorable . 



Desirable. 
Desirable. 
Desirable. 
Necessary. 
Necessary. 
Desirable. 
iJesirable . 



Favorable . 
Favorable . 
Necessary. 
Necessary. 



Necessary. 
Necessary. 



Favorable . 
Imuortant . 
Important . 
Important . 



Necessary. . 
Necessary. . 
Necessary. . 



Necessary. 



4 .000 
7 ,000 



3 .000 



4 ,000 
2 .000 
1 ,000 



5% 
I ,000 



Necessary. . . 


SOO 


Necessary. . . 
Necessary. . . 


200 


Necessary. . . 


SOO 



3 , 000 
I .000 



^10 , 000 



2 ,000 



S . 000 



4 ,000 



* Transplanted in garden for one year. 
§ To be shipped in 1910. 

This shows that through our efforts i,ooo acres of private land 
was reforested during the j^ast year. The trees were set at 
various spacings froni as wide as lo ft. by lo ft. to as close as 6 ft. 
by 6 ft. ; and some of the trees were used for undcrplanting. while 
a quantity of seedlings were set in nursery rows for ])lanting in 







rhoto Alex. Orr. 

White Pine Plantation of Gloversville Water Works. Photo taken two 

Years after Planting. 




Photo Alex. Orr. 
Scotch Pine Plantation of the Gloversville Water Works. 




Photo James L. Jacobs. 
Nursery of Santa Clara Lumber Compain- at Tupper Lake Junction, N. Y. 




I'lioto James L. Jacobs. 
Second Year Seed Beds in Nursery of the Santa Clara Lumber 
Company at Tupper Lake Junction. 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 137 

our nurseries but they are being increased as rapidly as funds per- 
mit. However, we cannot supply trees faster than they will grow 
and it requires a few years for us to bring our nurseries into shape 
to supply the amount, ages and kinds of planting stock recjuired. 

l'RI\\\TE PLANTING. 

Reforesting has been going on in this State several years, but it 
is difficult to determine how much has been accomplished. 

The Santa Clara Lumber Company, of Tupper Lake, was prob- 
ably the first lumber company to begin on a definite plan. In 1905 
they established a small nursery at Tupper Lake Junction, which 
v\as ver\' successful from the beginning and has been increased 
from year to year. The nursery now contains 325,000 transplants, 
of which 200.000 will be ready for field planting the coming spring. 
They made their first field plantation last year with stock grown 
in this nursery. It is a pleasure to note their success and the 
enthusiasm with which they are doing this work. The accompany- 
ing plate shows a general view of this nursery, also a group of seed 
beds. 

The Delaware & Hudson Co., one of the large landowners in the 
Adirondacks, established a nursery in 1905 at Wolf Pond, which 
has since been under the supervision of technically trained foresters. 
This nursery now contains 3,000,000 trees of various ages. They 
intend to reforest about 1,000 acres of their Adirondack land an- 
nuallv. In addition, a hard wood nursery will be started by this 
company at Oneonta, where they intend to produce annually 
250,000 red oak seedlings, to be used for planting Pennsylvania 
coal lands. These steps are taken by this company for the practical 
]:>urpose of producing wood material. 

Other private nurseries for reforesting land are operated by the 
West Point Military Academy at West Point, and Air. Archibald 
Rogers, of Hyde Park, Prof. A. M. Hollister and Mr. J. M. Smith 
also have a nursery at Corinth and have put in a cjuantity of seed 
spots. Mr. Frank A. Cutting, of Boston, who owns several thou- 
sand acres of land in St. Lawrence county, began planting his land 



138 I'lKTKKNTH A.NNL'AI. KtH'OKT OF TIIi: 

three years ago. but has been sowing seed broadcast for nearly ten 
years and the results are so satisfactory to him that he will con- 
tinue both methods. 

The bureau of water of the city (^f Rochester began reforesting 
land around Hemlock lake in iyo2, when they planted 5,000 trees, 
repeating it in i<P3. but did not do any more i)lanting until this year 
when they set 20.000. The city water iKiard of Gloversville is 
actively at work reforesting its lands. 'Jlie water boards of Cilens 
I'alls. W'aterville. and Illion begin the coming sjiring. The board 
of water supply of the city of Xew York, whicli has charge of the 
large Ashokan reservoir, has asked our assistance in regard to 
j^lanting and a site has been selected for a nursery. 

Mr. W. II. I'^axon, of Chestertown. probably has some of the 
finest plantations in the State. One of his plantations, of white 
pine, made in 1884 now has a fine cut of merchantable material. 
Until this year, Mr. b'axon made all his plantations with native 
pines collected in the vicinity, but as the supply was limited, he has 
not been able to plant as nuich as he desired. He is now using trees 
from our nurseries. He is a firm believer in tree planting as an 
investment and is buying wornout farm land for the sole purpose 
of planting. 

The Great l>ear Spring Company, of Fulton, probably i)lanted 
more trees than any other party in this State during the year. They 
have several hundred acres of land which they are rapidly reforest- 
ing as a protection to their valuable springs. In the ])ast few years 
they have reforested a large area. 

As a result of much correspondence and information secured 
from various sources, we believe that various private owners have 
in the last few years, e.xclusive of 1909. reforested nearly 2.000 
acres of land. 

NURSERIES. 

Our five nurseries arc located as follows: Saranac Nursery and 
Forest Experiment Station at Saranac Inn .Station ; Lake Clear 
and Patnode Nursery near Lake Clear Junction ; and Salamanca 
Xurserv at .Salamanca. 



1m)I<kst. I-'isii AM) (iAMi-: Commission. 139 

Saronac Xiirscry. The work in this iiur.-^cn- has been conckictecl 
the same as in past years. Tliis nursery supphed the following 
quantities of stock which were sold to ])rivatc jiarties last spring : 

White pine, 4 year old transplants 66,000 

Red pine, 4 year old transplants 13.000 

Bull pine, 3 year old transplants 18,000 

Scotch pine, 3 year old transplants 123,000 

220,000 

The following (juantities of seedlings were transplanted in this 
nursery last spring : 

White pine. 2 year old seedlings 72.956 

Scotch pine. 2 year old seedlings 98,995 

])Ull pine, 2 year old seedlings 48.373 

— — 220.324 

In addition twenty-four seed beds were sown with seed as 
follows : 

White pine 9 

Scotch pine 9 

Red pine 3 

European larch 3 

24 

Forest Experiment Station. This nursery has been used both for 
experimental purposes and as a producer of planting stock. The 
plan of transplanting one year seedlings has been continued with 
excellent results. Tlie species used were white. Scotch and red 
pine. The loss has been very low, not over 2 per cent., and they 
have made an excellent growth. These Scotch and red pine are 
trom four to seven inclies high, large enough for field planting 
under certain conditions, while the white pine have made fine roots 
and when they are three years old will be ideal stock. Tlie disad- 
vantage of this stock is that it is no higher when it is two years old 
than a seedling of that age and costs nearly twice as much ; but it 



140 F'iFTKKNTii Ann LAI, Rkpokt of Till-: 

is a far better tree to use. On the other hand, if the one year old 
seedhngs are left in the transplant beds two years, they are some- 
what more expensive than two year old seedlings, transplanted for 
one year, but are much beter and are worth more than the difference 
ill price. Photos showing comparative developments of stock under 
these different conditions were published in our annual report for 
1908. The three-year transplants (one-year seedlings transplanted 
two years) are far more desirable and cheaper than four-year 
transplants and the former will be generally used in our work 
where we have been using the latter. Scotch, red and bull pine 
two-year old transplants (one-year old seedlings transplanted one 
year) will be generally used in place of the three-year old transplant. 

In co-operation with the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United 
States Department of Agriculture, investigations were conducted to 
find some remedy for " damping off." We expect after another 
season to be able to make a final report. 

Last September 2,000 Siberian larch, three-year transplants, and 
3,000 Japanese larch, three-year transplants, w^ere supplied free to 
the Great Bear Spring Company, of Oswego. X. Y.. under an agree- 
ment that they would pay expenses of transportation and planting, 
l)Ut we were to have the use of all information regarding the adapt- 
ability and growth of these species. 

A series of experiments are now being conducted to test the use 
of various fertilizers on seedlings and transplants in this nursery. 

Excellent results have been secured by the juditious use of water 
on our seed beds. It is now too soon to make a full statement in 
regard to the work. 

During the coming year experiments will be conducted with 
chemical weed killers, hoping by this means to reduce the expense 
of weeding. 

An effort has been made to grow osiers at this nursery. One of 
the large willow baskets, in which trees were received' from Ger- 
many last spring, was torn apart, the rods submerged in water until 
the buds Ijegan to grow, when cuttings were made and set. A 
large part of these cuttings have made a fine growth. On account 



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FoKKSr. 1-ISIl AM) CiAMK COMMISSION. I4I 

of the importance of osier culture in this State the work will be 
extended, but may be transferred to the Salamanca nursery. 

This nursery supplied the fc^llowing c|uantities of ])lanting 
material : 

Scotch pine, 3-year transplants 55^000 

White pine, 4-year transplants 33.000 

Red pine. 3-year transplants 5<700 

ikill pine, 3-year transplants 5.000 

European larch, 3-year transplants 5,000 

Japanese larch. 3-year transplants 3,000 

Siberian larch, 3-year transplants 2,000 

108,700 

The following transjilanting was (U^ie in this nursery last spring: 

Scotch pine, 2-year seedlings 2.964 

Scotch pine, i-year seedlings 23,322 

Red pine, i-year seedlings 19,006 

White pine, i-year seedlings 46,618 

White spruce, 2-year seedlings 13,000 

Norway spruce, 2-year seedlings 18,395 

.Siberian spruce, 2-year seedlings 2,015 

Siberian larch, 2-year seedlings 2,000 

Japanese larch, 2-year seedlings 3,000 

130,320 

Six seed beds, four of which were bull pine and two jack pine, 
were sown. 

Lake Clear Xiirscry. — This is our largest nursery and will be 
used as a transplant groimd. The following transplanting was done 
in this nursery last spring : 

Scotch pine, 2-year seedlings 255,000 

Scotch pine, i-year seedlings 9.000 

White pine. 2-year seedlings 61,000 

White pine, i-year seedlings 24,000 

European larch. 2-year seedlings 10.000 

Red spruce. 2-year seedlings 71,000 

■ — 430.000 



142 Fifteenth Axxl'al Report of the 

This nursery supplied during the year: 

\\ hite jiine transplants 78,6cxD 

Scotch pine transplants 24,000 

102.600 

It now contains 824,000 transplants and 500,000 seedlings. 

Owing to the great demand for both seedlings and transplants 
by private parties we have not had seedlings enough to set all the 
nursery. This is only the second year this nursery has been in 
operation, but it will soon have an annual capacity of 1,250.000 
transplants. 

Pattwdc Xurscry. — This nursery was established during the year 
and is used entirely for the propagation of seedlings. We have in 
this nursery seed beds as follows : 

White pine, i-year old 149 

Scotch pine, i-year old 60 

Red ])ine. i-year old 4 

Norway spruce, i-year old 10 

White spruce, i-year old 2 

European larch, i-year old 2 

227 

These beds except the two containing white spruce are fully 
stocked and contain not less than 2,000,000 seedlings which have 
made a fine growth. The accompanying illustration shows the fine 
condition of the beds. 

In order to show the quality of seedlings we are growing and 
what improvements we have made in this work reference is made 
to the plate herewith, with the following explanations, all of these 
plants are two-year old white pine seedlings. Group No. i — trees 
grown in one of the largest and best commercial nurseries in this 
country. Group No. 2 — average sized seedlings from our seed 
beds grown with a much shorter season than No. i. Group No. 4 
are the seedlings we grew in our nurseries in 1903, while Ciroup 
No. 3 shows the size we grew in 1905-6, after experiments in soil 



Forest. I^'ish and (i.\Mi-: Commission. 143 

treatment, and Group Xo. 2 shows what we are growing now after 
further efforts to improve the quahty of seedHngs. 

Salamanca Xnrscry. — The report of work at this nursery, dur- 
ing the year, was prepared by Mr. J. W. Stephen, resident forester. 

The spring of 1909 found us ready for business. Everything 
of a preparatory nature had been done the fall and summer before. 

The winter of 1908-09 was very open in this section of the 
State. Snow fell to a considerable extent at different times, but 
owing to the repeated thaws it did not remain long on the ground 
at any time, and was not of great importance as a protection to 
the trees. 

The seed betls were covered witli burlap, but in si)ite of this the 
repeated freezing and thawing during the winter heaved some of 
the trees out of the ground. This was especially noticeable around 
the edges of the beds owing to the fact that the heat from the warm 
winds and sun aft'ected the soil more readily there than in the 
interior of the beds. More or less of the heat and warm air pene- 
trated under the edges of the frames and thawed this part of the 
bed while the interior of the bed remained frozen and solid. As 
soon as the weather would permit, the trees that had been dis- 
turbed were replaced in the ground and but few of them were lost. 
As a whole the trees came through the winter in an excellent con- 
dition. To guard against the absence of snow, it will be necessary 
to take every precaution to protect the seed beds, especially around 
the edges and prevent the warm air from jjenetrating under the 
edges of the frames. This can be accomplished by allowing the 
burlap to come well down to the ground on each side and fasten 
it there by means of dirt or lath. If this precaution is taken very 
little heaving will occur as the ground, in all ])arts of the bed, will 
remain frozen except during a long continued warm s])ell. If we 
were sure of an abundant suj)])ly of snow and long continued cold 
weather such precautions would not be necessary. 

In the latter ])art of April, we received two shipments of nursery 
stock from Germany. These shijMiients consisted of 100 baskets 
which contained 701,000 two-year old white pines and 50,000 one- 



144 FiFTEKNTH AXXUAL RKrORT OF TUB 

year old Scotch pines. These trees were set out in transplant beds. 
Each bed was forty feet long and four feet wide, and each was 
fertilized with about five bushels of thoroughly salted stable 
manure, which was spaded into and thoroughly mixed with the soil. 
The trees were planted in rows six inches apart and were spaced 
lour inches apart in the rows, making a little over 1,000 trees to 
each bed. 

The spring season was cool and wet. Repeated rains occurred 
during the time of transplanting, hence every condition favorable 
to the success of the plantation was experienced. The only adverse 
condition was from the fact that the rains were too copious, with 
the result that the ground became so thoroughly saturated, that 
wherever the beds were made or the planting done with the soil 
too wet. it afterward became very hard and difficult to cultivate. 
As a whole, however, the transplanting was very successful, not 
more than three per cent being lost from failure to grow, although 
the trees had been out of the ground over four weeks in coming 
from Germany. 

The Scotch pine did not fare so well. The trees, being smaller, 
were more closely packed and sufifered for the want of ventilation. 
Some of them had moulded and were already dead. Every tree 
that showed the least indication of life was planted, but we culled 
out about five thousand, and of the remainder about ten thousand 
failed to respond at all. The 35,000 remaining have made an ex- 
cellent growth and are to-day of good size and very thrifty in 
appearance. 

The same can be said of the white pine, so that our transplant 
beds throughout the nursery are well stocked with a thrifty stand 
of young trees. 

The nursery site for years had been handled as a market garden 
l)Ut with indifferent success. The cultivation had not been tlior- 
oughly done and the weeds had been allowed to scatter their seeds. 
In addition to this more or less weed seed was contained in the 
manure used for fertilizing, with the result that the warm weather, 
that followed the abundant rainfall of the spring, brought into Ijeing 



Forest, Fish and CIami-: Commission. 145 

millions of weeds. In order to cope with this condition, it became 
necessary to employ additional help to clean out the beds and pre- 
vent the weeds from seeding again. This we did and we feel con- 
fident that in succeeding years the ground can be kept in a desir- 
able condition with much less trouble and expense. 

We had considerable trouble from the depredations of a larva, 
or grub (probably Lachnostccna fitsca), of the "June bug." that 
v.as very persistent in destroying the trees. This it did by gnawing 
the bark from the roots and stem beneath the surface of the soil. 
The only remedy we used with success was to discover the invader 
and destroy it. This is not so easily done in many cases as the 
grub had often gone to another locality, when the condition of the 
tree betrays the fact of its injury. We hesitated to dig up the beds 
extensively, because the loosening of the trees at this season of 
the year is harmful to them and often results in their death, so 
that in order to avoid this as much as possible, we marked the 
place and visited again in a da}' or two when we would usually find 
some new evidence of his presence and could locate him with 
little trouble. The work of this grub continued throughout 
the season until toward fall, when it ceased its depredations and 
went into another stage of its life history. We succeeded in kill- 
ing hundreds of them and the total number would probably reach 
well above a thousand. The number of trees killed by them during 
the summer was approximately two per cent, so that from all 
causes we lost not far from five per cent of all trees transplanted. 

In addition to the transplants we sowed 250 seed beds. They 
consisted of 155 beds of white pine, 80 beds of Scotch pine, 10 
beds of Norway spruce, and 5 beds of European larch. The seed 
beds were made 4 feet by 12 feet, and in this space we sowed 
broadcast 12 ounces of white pine, 8 ounces of Scotch pine, 8 
ounces of Norway spruce, or i pound of European larch, accord- 
to the species of tree we wished to obtain. Each of these seed 
beds was fertilized with five or six bushels of thorc^ughly rotted 
manure and worked deep enough into the soil so that it would not 
come in contact with the seeds themselves, but would be available 



146 Fifteenth Annual Retort of the 

when the roots of the seedlings reached sufficient depth. The 
germination of most of the seeds was excellent. The only excep- 
tion to this was in the case of the European larch which is of 
rather low germinating power and which came up thin and 
scattering. 

As we lacked sufficient lath to cover some of the beds during 
the i)eriod of germination. I made use of the burlaps that were 
used for winter protection to cover the tops of fifty of the beds. 
These beds, although they were the last to be sown, were the first 
to germinate and were fully two days ahead of the same species 
when covered with the usual lath covering. I believe these burlaps 
.-erve to keep the beds warmer and are more economical, in time 
and expense of placing and removing, than the use of a loose lath 
covering. Their use would remove the necessity for keeping on 
hand a considerable quantity of loose lath at all times. 

We were troubled somewhat with the " Damping off "" disease 
in our seed beds. This was especially true in the Scotch pine beds 
and to a lesser extent in the Norway spruce beds. The white pine 
and larch seemed to be affected very little. We kept the disease 
in check by a liberal use of washed sulphur. This treatment 
stopped the ravages of the disease and we have 250 beds that are 
very uniform in appearance and contain a large number of young 
heedlings. The white grub was also troublesome in these seed beds 
but we lost no opportunity in seeking them out as soon as we de- 
tected their ])rcsence so that very little damage resulted from this 
cause. 

In addition to the coniferous seed beds, we sowed eight pounds 
of black locust, ten pounds of yellow poplar, and ten pounds of 
white ash seed. 

The hardwood seeds were planted in drills sixteen inches apart 
so that they could be cultivated with hand cultivators. The results 
are quite satisfactory. 

The locust germinated readily and made an excellent growth, 
some of them reached a height of fom* feet during the season. 

The yellow poplar was late in coming up. It did not germinate 



FoRtiST, Fish axu Ga.mi-: Commission'. 147 

until the last of June and the growth was slow. The best of them 
are now only about six inches tall. The seed of the yellow po])iar 
is of very low germinating power, about five to ten per cent germi- 
nate as a rule. For this reason it is necessary to sow the seed very 
thickly in order to secure a satisfactory stand. If this valuable 
sjiecies is to be propagated extensively, it will be necessary to sow 
a large (juantity of the seed. Although these seeds were slow in 
germinating, wc obtained a fair number of trees and some visitors, 
who have had considerable experience raising them, thought we 
obtained very good results. 

The white ash was a complete failure ; none of the seeds germi- 
nated although they may do so the coming spring after lying in 
tlie ground throughout the entire season. All of these seeds were 
thoroughly soaked for several days before sowing and should have 
been in good condition for germination. 

The copious spring rains were followed by a long season of dr\ 
weather and it became necessary to rely on our water plant for 
irrigation purposes. Our water pressure was sufficient to sprinkle 
all parts of the nursery and throughout the season we had an 
abundant suj^ply of water. This was very gratifying as there had 
been some question as to whether our well would furnish an ade- 
c(uate supply, throughout the entire summer, in case there was an 
extended drouth. The results were entirely satisfactory, removing 
all doubts for the future. 

During the early spring we increased the area of the nursery by 
the purchase of an adjoining ])lat of ground containing five and 
three-tenths acres. This doubled the area of our nursery, making 
the total area approximately ten and one-half acres. This land 
adjoins our original purchase on the east and extends from liroad 
to Carydon streets, on both of which \\e have a frontage of fifty 
feet for an outlet. During the summer we have enclosed this new 
?rea with a good fence and endeavored to bring the land into as 
favorable condition as possible for our pur]:)ose. In order to enrich 
this soil it was covered with stable manure and plowed under. It 
was then sowed with peas and they in turn, at maturit\-, were 



148 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

plowed under. Another coat of manure was then apphed and by 
repeated cultivation has been thoroughly incorporated with the soil. 
A large portion of the weed seed has germinated and been de- 
stroyed, so that we expect, when this area is finally planted as a 
nursery, we will avoid much of the trouble and expense of getting 
rid of the weeds. 

With this addition to our nursery, all under cultivation, it will 
give us a capacity of practically 1,000,000 four-year old transplants 
l)er year, and an equal number of two-year old seedlings of conifer- 
ous species. If a part of the nursery is permanently used for the 
propagation of hardwootls. this will decrease the number of conifers 
that will be available each year. 

At the present time, with less than half of the land occujMed, 
\\ e have the following stock in the nursery : 

670,000 three-year old white pine transplants, 
35,000 two-year old Scotch pine transplants, 
400,000 two-year old white pine seedlings, 
1,750,000 one-year old white pine seedlings, 
650,000 one-year old Scotch pine seedlings, 
100,000 one-year old Norway spruce seedlings, 
25,000 one-year old European larch seedlings, 
23,000 one-year old black locust seedlings, 
2,000 one-year old yellow poplar seedlings. 

THE EUROPEAN BLISTER RUST. 
in order to supply the demand for planting stock for reforest- 
ing at a reasonable price it has been customary to import small 
trees from Germany and France. This State and several other 
.'■tates in the northeast, imported large cjuantities last spring. .A-fter 
the trees had been unpacked and the annual growth began, one of 
our experienced men, who was superintending a large planting 
operation, noticed some peculiar coloring of the body of some of 
tlse little trees. He immediately referred the matter to the writer, 
who suspected the trouble might be this rust and promptly took 
steps to secure specimens. Some affected trees were secured from 




Pholo C. R. Pettis. 
White Pine Transplant Affected with the German BHster Rust. The Cup- 
Like Projections on the stem are the Spore Bodies. 



Forest, Fish and Gami-: Commission. 149 

this plantation and an examination of some plants of the same age 
and from the same German nursery, which liad been set in our 
nursery at Lake Clear, showed the same disease. Dr. Spaulding 
of the U. S. Bureau of Plant Industry was present and confirmed 
the identification as Pcridcrmium sir obi, Klebahn, commonly called 
the white pine blister rust. 

The fact that this disease had been found was at once communi- 
cated to Commissioner Whipple, who immediately called a confer- 
ence to meet in Xew York city. June 28th, inviting all the State 
and large private forestry interests from Maine to Maryland and 
west to Ohio. The following is a copy of the letter calling the 

conference : 

" Salamanca, X. Y., June 22. 1909. 

" Dear Sir. — Owing to the fact that there has been discovered 
on white pine planting stock, recently imj)orted from Germany into 
at least three of ovir States, a serious fungus disease — the Euro- 
pean currant rust — which endangers all white pine in this country, 
1 take the liberty to ask your careful consideration of this important 
matter. 

" The disease seriously affects the growth of white pine, and 
eventually kills the affected trees. It has become so serious in 
some countries, notably Holland, as to prohibit the use of this, our 
most valuable tree. I believe if prompt action is taken this serious 
disease can be stamped out. If action is not taken immediately 
I believe that the future use of white pine must be abandoned. 

" On account of the gravity of the situation I am taking the 
liberty of calling a conference of the forestry interests of the 
Northeastern states at the ofifice of this Commission, Xo. i Madison 
Avenue, X'ew York City, Monday, June 28, at i r. m. 

" You are urgently requested to be ])resent and to wire your 
acceptance to me at Salamanca. X. Y., on receipt of this letter. 
*' Very sincerely yours, 

"(signed) J. S. WHIPPLE. 

" Commissioner." 



150 Fifteenth Axxuai. Report of the 

Minutes of Conference of State Foresters 
held at the office of the Xew York iM^rest. Fisli and dame Com- 
mission. Xo. I ]\Iadison avenue, Xew York city, June 28. 1909, 
to consider the matter of a disease affecting white pine known as 
" European Currant Rust " or " I^Hster Rust." imported from 

Germany. 

Hon. JAMES S. WHIPPLE. Chairman. 
Present : 

Mr. ^^^ O. Filley. Acting State Forester. Xew Haven. Conn. 

Mr. A. F. Hawes, State Forester, Burlington, \'t. 

Mr. Alfred Gaskill. State Forester, Trenton, X. J. 

Mr. F. \\'. Rane. State Forester, Boston, ]\Iass. 

Mr. C. R. Pettis, State Forester, Albany. X. Y. 

Dr. Perley Spaulding. Bureau of Plant Industry, AVashing- 
ton, D. C. 

Dr. Haven Metcalf, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C. 

Mr. Raphael Zon. Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 

Hon. R. A. Pearson. Commissioner of Agriculture, Albany, X\ Y. 

Hon. J. S. Wliipple. Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner, 
Albany, X\ Y. 

Mr. Austin Gary, Superintendent State Forests, Albany, X. Y^. 

Mr. G. G. Atwood, Chief X'ursery Inspector, State Department 
Agriculture. Albany, X^. Y. 

Prof. J. W. Toumey, Yale Forest School, Xew Haven, Conn. 

Mr. H. R. Bristol. Forester. D. & H. R. R.. Plattsburg. X. Y. 

Hon. Geo. Aiken, Forest Commissioner, W^oodstock, At. 

Mr. John Foley, Assistant Forester, Penn. R. R., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Prof. F. C. Stewart, State Agricultural Experiment Station, 
Geneva, N. Y. 

Mr. S. X. Spring, Consulting Forester, Xew Haven, Conn. 

Prof. C. C. Curtis, Prof, of Botany, Columbia University, X'. Y. 

Hon. R. P. Bass, Forest Commissioner, Peterboro, X. H. 

Chairman'. — Gentlemen. I assume we ought to get right at this 
matter so that we can get our work done and get away. 

Some days ago Mr. Pettis, one of our foresters, called my atten- 



FoKICST. I'lSIl AM) (lA.MK COMMISSION. I5I 

tion to the tact that it was evident that a disease, very dangerous 
ti) white jiinc and imported into this country, had appeared in our 
■^lii'pment of trees from a nursery in Germany, and he hrought me 
some of the specimens that he found in the Lake Clear nursery. 
1 was informed by him and Dr. Spauhhng. who represented tlie 
U. S. De])artment of AgricuUure. that it might be serious indeed, 
not only to us in the State of Xew York but in the adjoining states 
in the eastern part of the United States. I realized that unless the 
situation, to some extent at least, was promptly handled, serious 
re.sults might follow. 

We have been to great trouble and some expense in getting the 
public sentiment aroused along the line of having our people plant 
trees in the State of Xew York, other states have done the same ; 
and if this matter was not handled diplomatically and promptly I 
could see how. in this State, we might be set back in this work 
manv years, which would be very injurious to us further than the 
mere effect of the disease of the trees. 

I am delighted to see that so many of you are here. I know 
nothing or little about it myself, from a technical or scientific stand- 
point, as I am not a scientific man ; but calling you here by the few 
facts stated in my letter, and without saying anything further about 
it. I will ask Mr. Pettis to make a brief statement about it and then 
i.ve will ask Dr. Metcalf to talk to us about the matter, and I hope 
that each person here will give us his idea upon any phase of it, 
as to how we shall treat it, how to eradicate it, as to the further 
importation of trees of this character, the relation of the State to 
the X^ational Government, and how we can work in harmony. Per- 
haps we ought to discuss as well the question of the tariff upon 
trees, it appearing that Mr. Paine, in the House, believed there 
should be a tariff and has put it back in his bill which was carried. 
All of these things we may want to discuss. 

Mr. C. R. Pkttis. — About all I can say is simply to state how 
we discovered the disease. This spring we imported about 250,000 
three-year old white pine transplants and about 800,000 two-year 



152 FiFTi:i:xTii AxxLAL Ri:fort of the 

old white jiine seedlings. None of the seedlings showed any signs 
of infection Init a few of the transplants had already developed it. 
]t was first found in the field by one of the men and he did not 
now what it was. I got into communication with him and secured 
some of the diseased trees which led me to believe they were eflfected 
with tlic Cicrman Pine Rust. Dr. Spaulding w^as at that time at 
Saranac Inn and he immediately took up the problem with patho- 
logists in ditterent parts of the country who confirmed our identi- 
fications. W'e found that it had also developed in some three-year 
old transplants in the Lake Clear Xursery. This is an explanation 
of the discovery of the disease. Dr. Spaulding was there and Dr. 
IMetcalf soon came and they made investigations in other states. 

Dr. H.WF.x Metcalf, Pathologist, Bureau of Plant Industry, 
U. S. Department of Agriculture. — Perhaps in this matter I better 
say a word or two in regard to the disease itself and its nature. 

The disease is a rust and up to the present time has been known 
exclusively in Europe. It lives a part of its life on one host and 
part of its life on another. This particular rust living part of its 
life on the white pine and the other part on various kinds or cur- 
rants. It is an interesting fact that this disease has already ap- 
peared in this country and on this continent. One stage was dis- 
covered in 1906 by Prof. Stewart, of the Geneva Experiment 
Station, in this State and he promptly eradicated the disease and it 
has apparently been eradicated ever since. But it was never before 
found here on white pine. The disease in Europe is serious. I 
do not think that the seriousness can be over estimated. It is not 
so much as to what it may do in Europe as it is to the possibilities 
of what it might do here generally. We know that in the intro- 
duction of diseases of humankind they show that on coming to a 
new country a new lease of life, and in addition to the increased 
vigor that might come to this ])arasite on the white pine, there is 
another species of pine that it might come in contact with in the 
west, and we do not know what it would do then. Pathologists for 
a number of years have been on the lookout for this disease. Now, 
as has already been said, it has been imported — it is here on 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 153 

Gemian transplants. We know positively at the present time that 
ii is in Xew York, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and 
Vv-e do not know where else, that is yet to be determined. So from 
that mere fact of distribution it is a serious question, which is really 
one of national importance, afifecting not only the states where the 
disease may already be at present, but affecting all the states where 
white pine is grown. The disease I do not say is one that essentially 
kills nursery stock, but it also occurs on the adult tree. 

Of course the first question that arises in our minds is what 
we are going to do about it and in that connection I might say that 
whatever we are going to do, or arc not going to do, must be done 
now because if the thing is permitted to go another year it will be 
absolutely beyond the possibility of control of any sort; and in the 
second place I may say that the proposition of the control of this 
disease is purely a problem of pathology. When the disease is in 
its most obvious condition, it is very easy to detect, but in the stage 
which it is in at this time of year, it is not so easy ; in other words, 
the entire question of eradication, or rather inspection, or whatever 
method is advocated, will have to be at least under the direction of 
expert pathologists. 

Now, Dr. Spaulding and myself have known of this matter for 
only a short time, a couple of weeks, and in that time we have not 
had opportunity to look the entire situation over so far as we 
would wish ; so far as we have looked the situation over, however, 
we believe that the disease can be stamped out at this stage by 
thorough inspection, with eradication of the disease in suspected 
plants. That necessarily involves a visit to every place where these 
imported trees have been planted ; it means going over every plant- 
ing; it means that the person who is doing the inspecting must go 
over every individual plant, and that is necessarily quite a task. 
There is also another difficulty that the disease which has occurred 
this spring may already have spread itself to currants, and currant 
bushes will have to be gone over, and that would have to be done in 
August; so you can see it is a very serious problem, and now is 
the time if it is ever going to be done. 



154 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

In conclusion I must say that the National Department of Agri- 
culture stands ready to assist in every way and I want to say 
frankly that we have no desire whatever to " but in ;" if the situa- 
tion can be handled by the pathological forces in the states them- 
selves, it had better be handled in that way. But the thing is a 
national question as it afifects every state throughout the white pine 
range, and so we naturally and necessarily feel a very decided 
interest in the situation. 

Specimens of diseased pine and photographs were then passed 
to each member present and a discussion followed among those 
present as to the elimination of the disease. 

Prof. F. C. Stewart, Botanist, Agricultural Experiment Station, 
Geneva, N. Y. — I might say that all I know about this matter is 
what is printed in our Technical Bulletin No. 2(1 think Mr. Pettis 
has distributed among you a copy of that bulletin), it is entitled 
" The Epidemic of tlie European Currant Rust." In the fall of 
1906 we found that our currant plantation, at the Geneva Station, 
containing a large number of varieties and representing several 
species, was thoroughly infested with this disease. It appears as 
a rust underneath the surface of the leaves. We do not know how 
we got it. It is true we have been importing currants from Europe 
but the last importation we made was in 1904 and this outbreak 
occurred in the fall of 1906. Now, to the best of our knowledge, 
the disease cannot live from one year to the next on the currant; 
it is in the leaves only on the currant and when these leaves drop 
off the disease is gone, so far as the currant is concerned- It must 
come to the pine before it can come back to the currant again, and 
we were unable to determine how we got the disease. We inspected 
the pine trees in the vicinity and there were very few in the im- 
mediate vicinity ; there were two young pine trees within twenty- 
five feet of the plantation of currants, but these were perfectly 
healthy and have remained healthy to-day ; we watched tliem care- 
fully and they are still healthy and there were none of the pines 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 155^ 

that could have this disease close by. I immediately saw that the 
disease attacks only those pines which have their leaves in clusters 
of five. We were, of course, very much worried over the matter; 
we did not want the disease to get started at the Experiment Sta- 
tion ; we did not wish to be the agent of introduction, and so we 
very promptly eradicated the disease in the whole plantation. Tliat 
was in the fall of 1906 and we did not plant any more currants 
until a year ago this spring, that is, we missed one year. We have 
not seen any rust on our currants since and none has appeared on. 
the pines, so far as we have been able to detect. I think there is 
one very hopeful feature about this situation, and it is this, that 
although we have been importing from Europe for a considerable 
number of years and in considerable quantity, and this disease is 
common in Europe, especially in northwestern Germany, still the 
disease has not become established up to the present time. We feel 
pretty sure that our pathologists are alert and the disease is a con- 
spicuous one and it is safe to say that it is not established in this 
country, notwithstanding the fact that we have been importing 
pines pretty freely, but I think we ought to take very radical meas- 
ures to get rid of it, notwithstanding. 

Mr. Raphael Zon, of the Forest Service, Washington, D. C, ad- 
dressed the members on this subject and advocated imposing a duty- 
on seedlings imported from Germany. 

After further discussion, in which nearly every one present took: 
part, the following named gentlemen were named as a committee 
to prepare a statement for approval, to be given to the press for 
publication : Dr. Haven Metcalf , Hon. R. A. Pearson, Hon. George 
Aiken, Mr. F. W. Rane, Mr. Alfred Gaskill, Hon. James S. 
Whipple. 

The committee prepared and submitted for approval the following 
statement which was duly approved and given to the press for 
publication : 

" Mr. Pettis, one of New York State's Foresters, and who ha'i 



156 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

charge of tree nurseries and tree planting for New York State, 
discovered, about ten days ago, indications that what is known as 
the " European Currant Rust " or " BHster Rust." a disease which 
has affected white pine abroad, had attacked some of the young 
■pine trees in the Lake Clear nursery of the State of New York. 
Specimens were immediately submitted to Dr. Spaulding, of the 
National Department of Agriculture, who was at the plantation at 
the time, and he pronounced it the " European Currant Rust " or 
*' Blister Rust," confirming Mr. Pettis' notion about it. 

" Commissioner Whipple immediately took the matter up and 
called a conference which was attended by the following named, 
well known, gentlemen from the National and State Departments. 
The conference was called at the Commissioner's New York city 
office. No. I Madison avenue, on June 28th: 

Mr. W. O. Filley, Acting State Forester, New Haven, Conn. 

Mr. A. F. Hawes, State Forester, Burlington, Vt. 

]\Ir. Alfred Gaskill, State Forester, Trenton, N. J. 

]\Ir. F. W. Rane, State Forester, Boston, Mass. 

Mr. C. R. Pettis, State Forester, Albany, N. Y. 

Dr. Perley Spaulding, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washing- 
ton, D. C 

Dr. Haven Metcalf, Bureau of Plant Industry, A\''ashington, D. C. 

Mr. Raphael Zon, Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 

Hon. R. A. Pearson, Commissioner of Agriculture, Albany, N. Y. 

Hon. J. S. Whipple, Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner, 
Albany, N. Y. 

Mr. Austin Cary, Superintendent State Forests, Albany, N. Y. 

Mr. G. G. Atwood, Chief Nursery Inspector, State Department 
Agriculture, Albany, N. Y. 

Prof. J. W. Toumey, Yale Forest School, New Haven, Conn. 

Mr. H. R. Bristol, Forester, D. & H. R. R., Plattsburg, N. Y. 

Hon. Geo. Aiken, Forest Commissioner, Woodstock, Vt. 

Mr. John Foley, Assistant Forester, Penn. R. R., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Prof. F. C. Stewart, State Agricultural Experiment Station, 
Geneva, N. Y. 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 157 

Mr. S. N. Spring, Consulting Forester, New Haven, Conn. 

Prof. C. C. Curtis, Prof, of Botany, Columbia University, N. Y. 

Hon. R. P. Bass, Forest Commissioner, Peterboro, N. H. 

" The subject for which the conference was called was thoroughly 
discussed, and it is believed that no serious damage will occur, 
especially in view of the prompt action taken by all of the states 
represented in immediately proceeding to eradicate the danger 
caused by the appearance of the disease in the few places it has been 
found. 

" Several of the northeastern states have imported large quantities 
of small white pine trees for reforesting land, antl in some of the 
shipments the disease has been found. The affected trees, so far 
as we know, have come from a single nursery, in Germany, and it 
is well known where the trees have been planted, and for that 
reason it will be comparatively easy to take care of the trouble if 
promptly attended to. Representatives of the Bureau of Plant 
Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture and of 
the New York State Experiment Station have examined the dis- 
eased plants and agree that a complete eradication may be made 
now. 

" The European Current Rust is a fungus disease which lives 
alternately on the white pine and the currant bush. It is most 
serious on small trees. The disease has not been reported in this 
country on white pine until this year; however, it was found on 
currant bushes at the Geneva, N. Y. Experiment Station in 1906, 
but Prof. F. C. Stewart, of that station, took every precaution and 
eradicated the disease by destroying the infected currant bushes. 

" The representatives of the conference believe that there is no 
reason whatever for alarm among those who have planted seedling 
trees and those who desire to do so. All those having planted will 
be asked by the Department to make a careful inspection of the 
trees planted and such trees as are found infected will have to be 
destroyed. Agents of the New York Department of Agriculture 
who are making nursery and horticultural inspections in all parts 
of the State will be instructed to watch closely for the first apjx^ar- 



158 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

tince of suspicious indications, and where such departments exist 
in other states they will co-operate in the same w-ay, as will also 
tl:e National Department of Agriculture. In this way the danger 
vill be entirely eliminated. It is a disease of trees that cannot be 
discovered until the disease has developed for a year, and for that 
reason any inspection at the docks on receipt of trees, unless it is 
fully developed, could not be effectual in the discovery of the 
trouble on receipt of trees on this side. 

"' Commissioner Whipple believes that the people as well as the 
Departments are to be congratulated that the disease has been 
quickly discovered and such prompt steps taken to wipe it out." 

A letter was received from Hon. Robert S. Conklin, Commis- 
sioner of Forestry of Pennsylvania, saying it would be impossible 
for him to attend the conference but he " would like to be advised, 
however, of the action taken at the meeting and will be glad to en- 
dorse that action so far as this state is concerned." 

Mr. F. \V. Besley, State Forester, Baltimore, Maryland, wrote : 
" I agree with you that the question for discussion is an extremely 
important one and much will depend upon the prompt action that 
would be suggested by such a conference. I w^ant to express my 
interest and desire to co-operate in a matter of this kind which has 
such a wide application. If I am unable to be present, as it now ap- 
pears likely, please convey to the conference my high appreciation 
of the stand which you have taken and the assurance of my hearty 
co-operation in dealing with the threatened injury to white pine." 

Prof. E. J. Zavitz, Department of Forestry, Guelph, Ontario, 
wrote : " I realize the seriousness of this situation and if it is 
thought advisable we shall cease importing white pine. I have been 
considering, during the last year, the advisability of growing all 
our own planting material from the seed, realizing the danger of 
importing disease. I shall be glad to co-operate in any way wdth 
the efforts of your conference." 

Immediately following the conference in New York city a second 
conference was held in Albany at the office of the Commissionr of 
Agriculture to devise means to handle this disease in this State. 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 159 

There were present : Hon. R. A. Pearson, Commissioner of Agri- 
culture ; Mr. George G. Atwood, Giief Nufsery Inspector, Depart- 
ment of Agriculture ; Prof. F. C. Stewart, Botanist at Agricultural 
Experiment Station, Geneva; Mr. Austin Gary, Superintendent 
State Forests, and C. R. Pettis, State Forester. The following 
plan of work was adopted : 

"i. Procure as complete as list as possible of every place to which 
Pleins' white pine stock has gone during the past two years. It is 
our desire to extend this list to include all other stock imported 
from Germany and France. 

" 2. Inspect all such premises and destroy all Ribes plants, wild 
and cultivated, within 100 yards from such trees, and even a further 
distance where practicable. The Ribes plants should be pulled up 
or cut off in such a manner as to prevent sprouting. For example, 
the skunk currant should be pulled up because it spreads from 
underground stems, while gooseberries and cultivated currants, 
difficult to pull, may be cut off below ground. Burn all such plants 
found as explained under No. 4. 

" 3. Keep close tab on cultivated currants and gooseberries in 
all districts of the State where suspicious pines are located, and 
after July 15 keep closer watch than heretofore on currants and 
gooseberries throughout the State. 

" 4. Destroy by burning all infected or suspicious pine or Ribes 
plants. This is especially important in 1909 for Ribes may be ex- 
pected to show signs of the disease if at all after July 15. 

" When the plants are to be burned it should be done where they 
are found or at -a place to which they are carried in bags made of 
closely woven heavy cloth such as canvas or factory, and all such 
bags should be thoroughly boiled or otherwise sterilized at the con- 
clusion of each job. 

" 5. Suspicious pine plantings to be thoroughly inspected during 
the last two weeks in May and the first week in June (between 
May 10 and June 10 probably safe). Tliis is very imix)rtant in 
1910 and should be repeated in 191 1, the thoroughness in that year 
depending largely on 1910 findings." 



i6o Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

An examination of our shipping records indicated that German 
white pine seedlings had been sent to forty-six different applicants 
and that transplants were distributed to thirty-eight parties. A 
division of territory was arranged with the Department of Agri- 
culture and the above plan was faithfully carried out and the work 
completed by August 15th. We wish to acknowledge the generous, 
efficient assistance given us by that Department and without their 
aid the work could not have been done early enough to be sure of 
satisfactory results. 

In order that the disease may be combatted intelligently it is 
necessary to understand its life history. As already stated the dis- 
ease is a rust and like other rusts it passes its life on two distinct 
kinds of plants. In this case the two plants are the white pines 
(here used to include all pines having five needles in a sheath and 
includes our native white pine, the sugar pine of the western United 
States, the European stone pine and a few others of lesser economic 
importance) and a group of plant called Ribes, which includes both 
wild and cultivated currants and gooseberry bushes. This disease 
is propagated by means of spores and in order for the disease to 
spread both pine and currant or gooseberry bushes must be located 
near enough together that the spores may be carried by the wind 
from one to the other. The disease is of but little importance as 
far as currants or gooseberries are concerned but to the pines it is 
most serious. 

" The white pine blister rust * is particularly noticeable in the 
spring, from the middle of April to the middle of May.f It then 
covers the trunk of young plants of four or five years and over, as 
well as the trunk and branches of older trees, with bright yellow 
blisters (Aecidia). From these blisters or bags blows a dark yellow 



*A translation from circular No. 5 of the German Imperial Biological In- 
stitute for Agriculture and Forestry written by Prof. Dr. Carl Freiherr 
von Tubeuf and translated by A. J. T. Von Lear, published by the De- 
partment of Agriculture, Albany, 1909. 

t Prof. Stewart thinks that it is very doubtful if the disease appears as 
early in April in this country and would expect to find it the last two 
weeks of May. 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. i6l 

powder, consisting of the reproductive cells, or so-called spores, of 
the fungus, which are carried great distances by the wind. These 
spores can not develop unless they fall on the leaves of currant or 
gooseberry bushes, in other words on plants belonging to the genus 
Rihes. On these leaves they germinate, however, especially on 
Rihes nigrum, aurcum, and sanguineum, but also on other species. 
The germ tubes enter the leaf tissue and felt into a mat of count- 
less threads (Mycelium). After a few weeks, about the beginning 
of June, these form on the underside of the leaves of currant and 
gooseberry bushes bright yellow deposits of new reproductive cells, 
called Uredospores, which spread the disease from leaf to leaf of 
the Rihes bushes. On all the leaves on which these cells happen to 
fall, similar yellow deposits are formed in a short time. This in- 
crease and distribution lasts the entire season, so long as the young 
leaves are formed. In the summer, however, still other repro- 
ductive cells (Teleutospores) are deposited on the underside of the 
infected leaves, which appear in the shape of yellow brown strings 
or sausages of the thickness of a hair. On the surface of these 
strings, tiny cells are deposited, so-called sporidia, which germinate 
only on the bark of young shoots of the white pine, but not on 
currant or gooseberry bushes. 

" The relation between the white pine blister and the Rihes fungus 
which bears the name of Cronartium rihicolum, has been estab- 
lished by artificial infection, so that it is certain that the first 
(Peridermium strohi) is but a stage in the development of the 
second (Cronartium rihicolum). 

" The last named sporidia, which come from the Rihes fungus, 
are produced and carried by the wind at the very season that the 
young white pine shoots have begun to develop and are in a con- 
dition to be readily infected. When the small sporidia germinate 
their germ tubes penetrate the tender bark of the white pine and 
there mate again (IMycelium). This tissue lives for many years 
in the branches and occasions considerable swelling of the shoots, 
by which the disease may be detected, also in the fall and in the 
winter when there are no yellow deposits on the bark. 
6 



i62 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

" On the surface of the infected branches, probably not until 
several years after the infection, spore blisters are formed, such as 
are described at the beginning of the article. For a number of years 
■ these reappear every spring on the same swelling. (Their appear- 
ance is preceded by the formation of very small, almost dot-like 
heaps of spores, so-called spermogonia, with sweet tasting, sticky 
spores, so-called spermatia, about which nothing further is known.) 

"At the end of the above mentioned processes, the fungus passes 
the winter on the bark of the white pine, is carried in May to the 
leaves of the Ribes plants, spreads from Ribes to Ribes, and returns 
the same summer to the white pine. Only in case of very thorough 
infection it causes the leaves of the Ribes plants to dry up before 
their time without, however, doing very serious injury to the plants. 
On the .white pines it produces swellings upon which the yellow 
blisters are formed. The swollen parts of the bark afterward 
crack and split and die ofif at an early date. In consequence 
hereof the parts of the young plants that are situated above the in- 
fected bark, and the branches and upper parts of trees, dry up also. 
The thinner the bark the sooner it is eaten through and destroyed 
by the fungus. 

" The damage caused by the fungus consists in the loss of young 
stock in nurseries, gardens and newly planted forests, the drying up 
of branches and general disfigurement of older trees, and finally the 
dying of whole trees in parks and forests. 

" The epidemic character of the disease has been verified more 
than once. Instances are known in which a very large percentage 
of the plants in extensive plantings have been destroyed by the pine 
blister, causing a large financial and still larger forest culture loss. 
The disease has led to the cutting down of many trees in parks, 
it has killed a great many saplings in forests, it renders entire beds 
of infected plants in nurseries worthless for purposes of sale and 
has even induced many practical nurserymen to give up the growing 
of white pine altogether." 

This disease has been the subject of much investigation and writ- 
ing abroad, but Klebahn is the most authoritative writer and Die 




PLATE 2 



THE WHITE PINE BLISTER RUST 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 163 

Wirtzvechsclnden Rostpihc his best work. Horticultural Bulletin 
No. 2 " Emergency Bulletin on the Blister Rust of Pine and the 
European Currant Rust " prepared by Mr. George G. Atvvood, has 
"been issued by the State Department of Agriculture, Albany. Cir- 
cular No. 38 of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C, 
^' The European Currant Rust on White Pine in America," by Dr. 
Perley Spaulding, has also been published since the disease was 
discovered in this country. 

In Europe, according to Prof. Sommervillc, the disease is so 
much on the increase that the outlook in that country for our white 
pine and other five needed American pines is almost hopeless. 
There are estates in England where hardly a living young white 
pine is left. In Denmark and in some places in Russia, as near 
Moscow, for instance, the raising of white pine had to be entirely 
given up on account of this rust. The same is true of Holland and 
portions of Germany. Other European countries are affected. 

The seriousness of the disease must not be underestimated. 
The value of white pine from a forestry standpoint is too great 
for us to allow its future to be threatened in any way. It would 
be far better to delay a part of our reforesting until American 
nurseries can be established which will produce the necessary plant- 
ing stock. 

The people of this State have no cause for alarm because every 
known plantation made with German white pine in this State has 
been carefully examined, the Ribcs destroyed and the inspection will 
be continued the coming spring. We can further say that every 
effort will be made by us to prevent importations of pine. The 
disease is well under control and our only trouble will be to prevent 
nurserymen and private parties from importing. 

The accompanying colored plate shows the appearance of the 
disease and an explanation follows : 

Plate I. A live, young white pine plant, showing swelling of the 
trunk and of the branches at the whorl, and on these swollen parts 
the yellow spore bags (Aecidia) of the Pcridcrmium Strobi. 

Plate 2. Branch of the white pine, showing the swelling caused 



164 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

bv the blister rust. The entire swollen part and the branches start- 
ing from it are already dead. The bark is torn. The Aecidia of 
last year have dropped off. 

Plate 3. Currant leaf with Cronart'uim ribicohim on the under 
side. The bright yellow deposits are the Uredospores, which 
spread from Ribes to Ribcs; the brownish strings are the Teleutos- 
spores, whose Sporidia again transmit the disease to the white pine 
and there produce the Pcridermiiim Strobi. 

Reforesting State Lands. 

On account of the great demand for trees by our land owners 
this w^ork was practically abandoned for the present year. 

At the Paul Smith's Plantations, 7,000 Scotch pine transplants 
were set, in fail places, by the man watching the plantation during 
the spring. 

A plantation of 60,000 trees was made on the land acquired for 
the Delaware Fish Hatchery, near Margaretville, to protect the 
water suppply. This is the second plantation on State land in the 
Catskills. 

At Chubb Hill (near Lake Placid) 30,000 trees were planted and 
the area of this plantation increased twenty-five acres. 

During the summer our plantations have been surveyed and 
carefully mapped for future reference. 

All our plantations are making a very satisfactory growth. 

Seed Spot. 
The seed spot is, next to broadcast seed sowing, the simplest 
method of artificial reforesting. It consists essentially in preparing 
little spots, usually about one foot in diameter, regularly over the 
field that is to be reforested. This plan of artificial reforesting 
does not require any nursery for propagating the trees because the 
seed is planted where it is desired to grow the future tree. In 1904 
about ten acres of seed spots were made at Chubb Hill, near Lake 
Placid. The work was done in the fall with white pine seed 
gathered the same season. In 1905 forty-two acres were made in 







>^ t^vlT 









o 
a. 

-3 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 165 

our plantation north of Paul Smiths and at tliis time white and 
Scotch pine were used. In 1906 about eleven acres more of seed 
spot was made in this same plantation when Norway, white, native 
red and Douglas spruce, also some balsam and Norway pine seed 
was used. The seed spots were further increased by about thirty 
acres in 1907 when several kinds of pine, spruce and other con- 
iferous seeds were used. 

Several kinds of seed spots have been made, viz. : large spots, 
small spots, hole hillocks, and unprepared ground. The large and 
small spots were made by loosening up the soil and preparing a 
small clean seed bed, in the former case from 12 to 15 inches in 
diameter, while in the latter about 6 inches in diameter. The hole 
hillocks were made by overturning a large thick sod and sowing 
the seed on the overturned soil. In the case of unprepared soil 
there were two methods, one of them being to sow seeds broadcast 
on the ground (which was covered with a light grass sod), the 
other plan was to cover the seeds, sown on the unprepared ground, 
with a handful, or more, of dirt which was carried in a pail for 
the purpose. 

The cost of this work naturally varies with the kind of spots. 
In all cases these spots have been made under favorable circum- 
stances, as regards ground, cover, thus contributing to low costs. 
A careful examination of the expenditures made and acreages 
planted indicates that $10 per acre is about tlie average cost. 

In order to secure information upon which to base future work 
careful counts were made this summer of 2,231 seed spots made 
in 1906 and 1907 of various species. The accompanying illustra- 
tions give a much better idea of the condition of the ground cover 
than can be done by description. It also indicates the stakes, set 
at the end of each row of spots, upon which were inscribed proper 
legends denoting the species used, kind of spots, date of planting, 
and treatment of the seeds. ' All of the seeds were coated with red 
lead before planting. 

The accompanying tabulation shows the results of our counting. 
The results show that on the average 35 per cent of the spots 



SUMMARY OF SEED SPOT COOHT 



SpHlfs of wmI 
plant*') 


■ ■— — 

Dal* 0/ 

pUnilnv 


Klnrf M m» 


ul 




Jnly i.»wi 


Nmall tffi* 




DcruBia* iprnvo 


J«lr *."W7 


HmatI t|«i«. 




B.I«m 


juir ii.i»BT 


0fflAll t|«U in' 




Red ■I'nic* 


July ifi. ««»T 


tbnallap'rt*. >iii< 


Cf.ai*-'! r 


Whiwi<ln« Mr »«. "fo-i j 


nti.«ll tix.!* 


' ■■'"■' 


JickplM : Jun* *''. '■••'J 


hn»llii"it. 


'■■••■' 


Dutlplna. ' )i>ri* *i, i^tf 


llril.f'Wn ««, 


' 


Whit* pin* 1 July m. ivu? 


Rmalltpot*., ..|. 


<-<.aU>l 




JuM i|, i«a) 


iiiHllapuia.. -.1 


ti#*l*>l 


Doll pin* 


^n* ti, ■««} 


Small ticU 4 


(:n«l«<l 


KOTKty IpTUr* 


;>iir •■■»•> 


flfn*lt *(»u . . .1 


1 ualcl 


I'lidi Pifl*. 


J>ilr i< •«■? 


llrr.all.i-i> 4. 


l.ii»tt>\ 


Bunip**ii larrti 


Juna .1. I**! 


toiftlt«t>»U , i 


<»«l*-1 


Hod iipruv* , 


jun* *i. tt«i 


»m*llM*ti. i 


Cnaicl 


lUdtprui*. , 


Jun* (1, i««) 


Cua**<) 


Whit* |.ln* 


Jiilf M. "•»» 


IM* hlliMb* ,.|f 


l..at*<1 


Whil* ■('•"•• 


}»n« ■«. )••! 


Urs> tint* ^ 


..,.,.( 


WJilw »pnir» , 


jitna It. »««) 


Kmall *t->i* 




Whii* pin* 


AUR ...•*, 


Ur>a*|inU 




Willi* pin* 


Oct. la, tan) 


RrM'li**! 






tuna «i, iu*« 


bn*)) i|«i*^ . 


1 l^u.I 


Rul tpriir* . , 


)u»aM..«** 


tlUll 'pi'U 


1 Al-.^ 


Willi* ptn*.. 


Junr M, i«*«> 


kmall t|»i> 




Willi* [ilfl* 


hiri. M.<V»'- 


(itnall ii-.i. 




lUdtrrux,, , . .. 


)u<i* M, •»•«> 


Amall >|-t. 




Hc«i.<h|>ln* 


)uRa It. ■••« 


*m«ll *i~l* 




DoUHU* tlKVLIa. 


luis* «a. !*•(• 


Urn*]) *|«u 





ffuuBBR or TRUk u. noH rotrnD >v consbcvtivi coont 









■ ( • (B 



F 



» s • 



J I • 



• •••••t« 



•I* 
•1^ 



1 


■ft 


II 


II* 


II 


kS 


It 


II* 


• 


■•• 


11 


>■« 


II 


It* 


II 


11* 


II 


II* 


II 


II* 


II 


•I* 


It 


•I* 



i66 Fifteenth Annual Report of the 

now have trees. The spruces, larch and balsam are not desirable 
species for the work. About 40 per cent of the white pine spots 
have trees. Bull pine, in one case, shows 94 per cent of the spots 
growing trees with an average of over ten trees in a spot. This 
is by far the best showing and is the only one that seems to indicate 
the desirability of seed spot planting. 

Experimental Work. 

In order to test the desirability of planting young stock the fol- 
lowing aged species will be set in sample plots the coming spring: 

Type I. On sandy soil with no shade : 

White pine 2-year seedlings, i + i transplants, 2 -}- i trans- 
plants. 

Scotch pine 2-year seedlings, i -)- i transplants, 2 -|- i trans- 
plants. 

Red pine 2-year seedlings, i -j- i transplants, 2 -\- i trans- 
plants. 

Bull pine 2-year seedlings, i -|- i transplants, 2 -)- i trans- 
plants. 

Type II. On fertile loam, little or no shade : 

White pine 2-year seedlings, i -|- i transplants, 2 -]- i trans- 
plants. 
Scotch pine 2-year seedlings, i -f- i transplants, 2 -j- i trans- 
plants. 

Type III. Under-planting of mature hardwoods: 
Heavy shade (density .9) : 

Norway spruce 2 -|- i transplants, 2 -|- 2 transplants. 
Moderate shade (density .5) : 

Norway spruce 2 -|- i transplants, 2 -|- 2 transplants. 

Type IV. After clear cutting: 

Norway spruce 2 -(- i transplants, 2 -f- 2 transplants. 
Type V. Under-planting second growth poplar, sandy soil : 

White pine 2-year seedlings, i -}- i transplants, 2 -f- i trans- 
plants. 



Forest, Fish and Game Commission. 167 

Scotch pine 2-year seedlings, i + i transplants, 2 -^ i trans- 
plants. 

Red pine 2-year seedlings, i + i transplants, 2 + i trans- 
plants. 

Norway spruce 2-year seedlings, i + i transplants, 2 + i 

transplants. 

There are, in connection with the management of our nurseries, 
several problems which have been referred to in previous reports 
and work upon them will be continued. 

Very respectfully yours, 

C R. PETTIS, 

State Forester. 
Albany, N. Y., December 21, 1909. 



LIBRARY OF CX)NGRESS 



DaDDfiT7D7Tfi 



